Every time a new online communication tool comes along (Facebook messaging, for example) claims pop up that ‘email is dead‘ and that the new service will make email obsolete. That’s just not going to happen folks. Here’s why – email is used daily by everyone from the bleeding edge of technology early adopters to the folks who can barely get their computer turned on in the morning. None of the ‘new’ communication services are game-changing enough to replace email for the entire set.
One of the things that has changed about email is that addresses have become commoditized. Remember the days when your ISP gave you an email address and you were suck with it – and stuck with your ISP? Unless you had the courage to send out that email – you know the one: "As of May 8th, my new address is xxx@yyy.com, please update your address book!" Then you had to go around and change you address with a dozen (or more) online services.
Of course, web-based email services from Microsoft, Yahoo, and eventually Google, changed the game a little bit, but most folks still liked to get their email in their Outlook inbox so they still used the ISP address.
Wait, I said email addresses had become commoditized and they have – but among the elites for now. With a little know-how, a domain, and a Google account, anyone can have almost as many emails as they want – for almost no cost. Beyond my work email accounts, I have ‘real’ email accounts on 2 personal domains and an infinite number of feeder addresses from all of the domains I own. Add to that my Gmail and dormant Yahoo mail accounts.
What does this mean? Email use among the social media/technology elite may growing - not shrinking. I did a quick poll of my Twitter followers (all social media elites) and found that they averaged 3 to 4 active email accounts used daily.
I’d love to know more what about folks who aren’t social media elites, I’ll have to settle for the readers of this blog – elite or not. ;)
What about you?
Please fill out the short survey below – I’ll post the results next week.
Update: Poll results have been posted.
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Tags: Email
I laugh every time someone says because of xx, email is dead. I am a die hard Twitterer, and use other social media and IM, etc., but everything for me boils down to email. You might start a convo on twitter or facebook, or linkedin, or commenting on a blog, but inevitably, email addresses are exchanged. I have had a twitter back and forth with Scobel and several other of the “elite” as of late and all back and forths ended up with the exchange of email addresses. Email isnt dead, but its use for getting in front of someone initially might be.
I agree that e-mail isn’t dead.
Even if you assume a very high 25% rate of first-adopters for services like Twitter, that still leaves 75% of a market that you just left on the table.
There will always be a certain percentage of people that just won’t “get” anything beyond e-mail. Until all of my clients and list tell me otherwise, e-mail will continue to be a very important part of my world.
Sorry but I am a fan of email. It’s like a major means of communication in my case. I write my friends, my family, my mother through email. And just as when my mom is learning how to use it proficiently, I am sure she’ll have ample years to enjoy sending me her thoughts through email.